Phonograph record changer



E. G. HENRY PHONOGRAPH RECORD CHANGER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 17, 1942 if r MM L 4/ NZ? l #i% i 1 Q Q W r. #8

July 19, 1949. HE Y 2,476,865

PHONOGRAPH RECORD CHANGER Filed Dec. 17, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 19, 1949. G. HENRY PHONOGRAPH RECORD CHANGER 4 She etsSheet 3 Filed Dec. 17, 1942 July 19, 1949. E. G. HENRY PHONOGRAPH RECORD CHANGER Filed Dec. 17, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented July 19, 1949 PHONOGRAPH RECORD CHANGER Earle G. Henry, Wilmette, 111., assignor to Buckley Music System, Inc., a corporation of Illinois Application December 17, 1942, Serial No. 469,312

6 Claims.

The present invention has for its object to produce a simple and novel mechanism whereby any one of a plurality of disk type records may be played at will.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a simple and novel mechanism that permits a stack of records to be supported on the rotatable table of a phonograph and any record to be played while it remains on the table, with a minimum amount of movement of records incident to the making of a selection and restoring conditions as they existed at the beginning, upon completing the playing of a record.

A further object of the present invention is to produce a simple and novel record changing mechanism for a phonograph which protects the records against wear other than that which is incident to the mere playing of a record.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a phonograph embodying the present invention, the casing being shown in section; Fig. 2 is a section on irregular line 2--2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1, some parts being shown in elevation instead of in section; Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, showing only a fragment of the front end of the casing; Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the tray and a record held therein; Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing only a portion of the apparatus, and illustrating the parts in playing positions whereas in Fig. 1 they are in normal idle positions; Fig. '7 is a view looking diagonally at the lower left hand corner of the phonograph as it appears in Fig. l, the casing being omitted and only a portion of the phonograph being illustrated; Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing a smaller fragment of the phonograph and the tone arm being in playing position; Fig. 9 is a detail of a locking device to prevent vertical movements of the selector except when all records are in place in the stack; and Fig. 10 is a diagram of the required electrical system.

Referring to the drawings, I represents a phonograph turn table which, for the sake of convenience, is shown as rotatably mounted upon the outer end of a rigid bracket 2 secured to and projecting inwardly from the rear side of a suitable cabinet or casing. The table is shown as having a downwardly projecting hub 4 on the lower end of which isa gear wheel 5 that meshes with a driving pinion 6; this pinion being driven in any usual or suitable way by a motor 1.

Records of the disk type A are adapted to be individually held in light trays 8 of considerably greater depth than the thickness of a record, as best shown in Fig. 5. These trays may conveniently be formed of sheet metal so fashioned as to have thick annular walls whose tops are flat as indicated at 9. By making the annular walls thick, they will be sufliciently sturdy to permit loaded trays to be stacked one upon another and, by making the upper faces of such walls fiat, wide bearing surfaces are presented for the support of overlying trays.

In accordance with my invention, a record is played while it remains in the stack, this being made possible by shifting the overlying recordcarrying trays out of the way. In order to conserve space and avoid'the expenditure of unnecessary energy for shifting records, I provide means which simply slide all of the trays above the one containing the selected record laterally without substantially raising or lowering them; it being unnecessary to carry them laterally any further than is necessary to enable the tone arm to swing from the periphery of the record to the inner end of the sound track, namely less than one-half the diameter of the record. While shifting a part of the trays, it is necessary that those remaining on the table be accurately centered. I have therefore provided means to accomplish this. Each tray has in the bottom a central hole I0, and each record is provided with a like hole. A bore of the same diameter as the holes Iii extends from the top of the turn table down through the hub and the gear wheel 5. Extending up through this bore and through the central holes in the trays and records, is a round stem II, which is long enough to reach to the top of the stack. This stem is carried upon and rises from the outer end of a vertically movable arm l2, whereby the stem may be raised and lowered at will. The arm [2 is conveniently fixed to a long sleeve N that surrounds a vertical shaft l5, fixed within the front part of the casing not far from the stack of trays. Whenever the stem II is partially lowered, all of the trays then lying above the upper end of the stem may be pushed laterally. The lateral movement of the trays is conveniently brought about by a wide ring l6 whose internal diameter is not appreciably larger than is necessary to enable it to be moved freely up and down while embracing the stack. This ring is fastened to a sturdy block or shoe l1, through which the shaft 55 extends, thereby permitting the ring to be moved up and down and to swing about the axis of the shaft. Surrounding the shaft, under-= neath the lower end of the sleeve I4, is a compression spring N3 of sufficient strength to u alance; the the ring o and oth r partsh shc e tlitherewlth- The po ts are so proportioned that the plane of the lower edge of the ring is slightly above the upper end of 4 moving the handle vertically until the line on the plate registers with the graduation corresponding to that record.

After the actuator has been brought to the proper elevation to select the desired record and starts to swing laterally, any further shifting of the handle up or down until its return to its neutral position must be avoided. This can conveniently: be done an automatic; lock 'or catch- In the ar angement shown, there is a long wide plate 29 fastened to the front wall of V the cabinet not far from the handle or actuator the stem H, so that whenever the lower edge of the ring is at or slightly above the-top-of "one of the trays, all of the trays nit'lelllyin wilho latterwill be swept to one side whenthertng issmoued angularly, without distur. trays.

It will thus be seen that in order toselecta record the stem and the ring are simply moved up .OrMdQ IL untilthel weruedge of the g ohlysli -htly. ahovethetop of tray i Wh oh he 'desiredrecordirepose i upon, winging the ring laterell ie sumoieht are of the d sired record isexposediorplaxihg. the eco d, Ob

viously, there aremehyjways i whieh these tw shifting morementsfmeyjhie performed: F r the sake or 'brevitylllaye. il ustrated only a. simple manuallyopereblemeehs for this pu pose Th s means, as sh wn; .oompriseseh, eotua or ihthe former a.hand e .-.l.9.thetezttendsout thr ugh a window ztintheiroht o he. ea ing, high enough and wide. ehoughitoipermit itheneeded Jvertioel and lateral movements, respeotirelx, of, the astuetor, llhis actuator isishown Nos. fixed to the port ll andfjit has.aifiheerllieistendihg-,dowh

'W r ly h r from.aiidignroiiided atits .ower end.

with e .pr iehtioni thatjis; en ered; .a deep groove or slolt'lslthat runsahoutihaltiway around the sleeve It.) With tmsgoonstruotioh, Whenever the handle...is ra s d. or low red, thest m 1H and the. ring, it are given. co responding movements. However, when the. handle istswunghto therieht or to he left. only ,the..rihg I-fi swings while. the

L2: and thefsle'eile wrehiain stationery,

sinoe theeomieetionfzlz simRlX-ntores treely atone thegr-oove-or slotlitil" I In the ease otuawmenuaiily oherahle record changer, the .ihde ihgmeans may oohueniently be associat dhw th' the handle; Thus, in the or:

ratie meht shown; thereis a plate of, siderabl'e length and breadth oorering the window r o -ehinezl, ahdirihesesainst theiiuher side of he front. wall ottheoesihgor .oahi e Th s p ate is, heldinv-plaoe lay-means.ofrsuiteihle-sta tiohary guides Zt'that perinitit. to he moved side: wise. and up, and. down; By giuine, the actuator or handle at. taheularzshape in s ction, s Fig. 4.; and-a lowinejt e h ndle toextend through an pen ng theplateof thesam-e shape and larger than-heeded t p rmit hing the remaining Eixed'to; the sleeve I4 is a long curved arm 3! 7 Yes handle 17010.01; s dewise elatiiz lr-to the plate, 7

and extending inwardly toward the turn table. Into'the'free vertical edge of this plate are cut a, seriesto f slots ih as best shown in Fig. 9, corres onding innurhiber to the trays that can be employed at onetime, spacedbetween centers adistance equal tothe depth of one of the trays.

that extends partially around and near the stack f trays, v Proieoting dewhqtromtthis arm, as best hownin 2, lash lug' 32lhear he-handle or actuator litwhile much longer x tends down beside the notched end of; the bracket or plate 29. A dog: n. theuformioi a ng e bar 35, extends through eudfis, slidably sur ported by these-two lugs w h one end in contact with the sideot t e fin er Zion. th -h ndle r actuator. Alishtesnring. 35; normally holds thev dogin enga em nt with. the finger At e QPuositeend-oi the dogyisa lit 3 wh overlaps the. m rg nal. por ion at t e-no h d end of the plate .or bracket. ZS sQUthet whenever. t

11p reg sters withohe orthe notohes nd i o wiselfree touo o, thesurihe 36. pulls the dog leh thwiseuntil the; p.- rsthatcnotch. The artsare-sopropo tio ed that'the li'p on; th locking dQ-gneeisters-Lwiththe lowermost notch when. the. actuator is: int rpo tion}- to sel c t lowermost record the-st L r Normally, when the steels. is his the aetuatorthere ore eueupies; the neut al position I l1llZatQdil1,.,ul 1ines'ih E l he lockin doe held elear-of ths stationaryho ehect meme her; ut, when the ha dle or etue starts to swing in the clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. the sprine ,36 --caus. s, the,degjto,;vtollow alongwith the. hen oteotuator thus brine whichhasbeen sele ted- In ahner the shif ing mechanismisioeh ueiio re msioeked retu ned, to the starting 13011117:

The sh ft n -or ha pe t ofrthe steels of trays above the s lected tr oord-.-- s: eeoomp by he he actuator; or handle 19 laterally hrou hahjaeuteenelei namely from the full line -position in vFig. to the broken line position. This carries the upper part of the stack; for enough toward the right-as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 1 and in" full lines-in Fig. 6, to p rmit the usual st u t m e s reoord-nlevis against vertioalsm vemeht until the: eotuator is selected record, 4

Some meansnl sts'bez rovided to. support the shifted. traysso as otto interfere with the free rotation of the phonograph table. Tothi's end I have mounted on the, arm-.3l'a pair'qfrollers 38, rotatable about horizontal axes and havin me, sweep jnwardiygfrom. the periphery of the heir highest points at. or; s htly ab ve the plan of thefiat-rim fac iJ-,.of the tray that contains he selec ed record. Whenone or. more trays,

are swung laterally by. the ring, the lowermost tray engages. andxridesunon; these rollers until 7 it reaches and slides over 2. lug or little post 39 rising from the arm 3! about midway between the two wheels. In this way the shifted trays are supported by a three-point bearing. The parts are so proportioned that the center of gravity of the part of the stack that is skimmed from the remainder crosses a line connecting the two wheels; thereby making the support a stable one. If the tops of the wheels are a little higher than the top of the uppermost tray remaining on the turntable, the tray or trays that are moving laterally are raised a little clear of the tray or trays on the turn table. If the tops of the wheels are in the plane of the top of the tray containing the selected record, the bearing face of the lug or post 39 must be a little lower so that the part of the stack that is shifted laterally may tilt a little after its center of gravity passes across the line connecting the wheels and thus raise the side overlying the trays on the turn table sufficiently to stand clear of the latter. In either case the turn table is left free to turn without interference from the .hifted trays.

The tone arm d5 is carried by a third arm or bracket 4| fixed to and projecting from the sleeve M. In the arrangement shown, and best shown in Fig. 8, there is a vertical sleeve 42 provided near the lower end with a circumferen tial groove 4a in which are engaged the two sides of a jaw in the free end of the arm or bracket 4!. This sleeve surrounds and is movable on a stationary vertical rod or shaft 45. The base end of the tone arm loosely embraces the member :32 and is connected thereto by a horizontal hinge pin 47 passing through the same and through an ear 48 on the member 42. Therefore the tone arm may move bodily up and down with and may rock up and down relatively to the arm or bracket 5!, and it may swing about the vertical shaft or rod 46.

A link 49 extends between points on the tone arm and on the arm ii, both remote from the shaft or rod 45. This link has therein, at one end, a long slot 5t and near the other end a shorter slot 5!. Headed pins 52 and 5d extend through these slots into the tone arm and the ll, respectively. A light tension spring is fastened at one end to the pin 5 and at its other end to the link at 53 so as to tend constantly to hold the link in such position that the pin 54 lies in the inner end of the slot iii, as in Fig. 6. The parts are furthermore so proportioned that when the free end of the tone arm bears against the side of a stack of trays on the turn table, as it normally does when the phonograph is idle, the pin 52 lies in the outer end of the slot 5% as indicated in Fig, 1. This last named condition can only be brought about by stretching the spring 55 until the pin 5 3 is in the outer end of the slot 5!. Therefore, upon shifting laterally that part of the stack of trays against which the tone arm bears, the spring 55 contracts and pulls the tone arm around until the stylus 56 is positioned over the playing field of the selected record; the parts being so proportioned that the tone arm is always moved, along with the actuator or handle i9, so as to be posi tioned a little higher than the tray containing the selected record, in making a selection. It only remains, therefore, to lower the tone arm to bring the stylus into the sound track, in order to play the selected record upon starting the motor.

The tone arm is held in an idle position, with the stylus raised, by a weight 51 which rests on top of the rear end of the arm behind the hinge axis, as indicated in Fig. '7. When this weight is lifted, as in Fig. 8, the stylus end of the arm drops down into working position on the record, if it be over a record. The weight conveniently may be or form part of the movable armature of an electromagnet, the coil 58 of which may be fastened to the upper part of the sleeve 42. When the coil is deenergized, the weight rests on the tone arm; but, upon energizing the coil, the weight is lifted and the tone arm is left free to swing down into playing position.

After the selected record has been exposed it is necessary to energize the coil 58 and the motor and, after the record has been played, to stop the motor and deenergize said coil to permit the stack of records to be restored and the tone arm to be swung back without scratching the record. I have therefore provided a simple control system in which this cycle, after being initiated by the operation of the handle ill or other actuator, is completed and cannot begin again until the actuator has been moved into its off position and a selection again made. In the arrangement 1 illustrated, there is a normally open switch 59 mounted on the inside of one side wall in such a location that the ring l6 will engage the same and close it whenever swung laterally as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and in full lines in Fig. 6. While the ring usually carries with it one or more trays when swung laterally, it does not do so, of course, when the topmost record is to be played; but the ring must swing over to close the switch 59 and allow the tone arm to move across the record. There is a second switch Bil,

mounted on the arm 4| and normally closed, as shown in Fig. 1. On the tone arm is a laterally projecting pin 6| which, when the tone arm has swung in toward the center of a record as far as it needs go, strikes a projecting end 62 of the movable arm of switch 68 and opens the same, as shown in Fig. 6. The switches 59 and 60 are shown in Fig. 10 as being in series with each other, the motor and the magnet coil 58. It will be seen that with this arrangement both switches must be closed in order to play a record. Therefore, although the switch 69 is normally closed, the electromagnet, as well as the motor, remains deenergized until the pusher ring is swung to one side of the cabinet to close switch 59.

A complete cycle of operations is extremely simple. Having chosen a record to be played. the operator moves the handle (in the case of a manually-operated actuator) up or down until the marker on the plate 25 registers with the graduation corresponding to that record. He then swings the handle toward the left, causing it to be locked against further vertical movement in either direction, until the pusher ring I 6 closes the switch 59. Unless it be the uppermost record that is to be played, the ring carries with it one or more records, namely all that lie above that which has been selected. In the meantime the little spring 55, pulling on the tone arm, has caused it to swing inwardly a short distance over the exposed record. This preliminary movement of the tone arm is limited by the length of the slot 51. Up to this time the stylus has been held up so as not to touch the record. However, as soon as the switch 59 closes, the motor starts, causing the turn table to rotate, and the coil 58 of the electromagnetis energized, raising the weight 51 and permitting the end of the tone arm carrying the stylus to drop until the stylus enthe turn table.

along the soundtrack in the, record in the usual way. During one or two turns of the turntable, following the end of the recording, the pin ti on the tone arm opens the switch 66, deenergizing the coil 58, and stopping the motor. As soon as the coil 58 is deenergized, the weight 51 drops down on the tone arm and causes it to rock in the direction to raise the stylus clear of the record and above the top of the tray in which the record lies. Thereafter nothing further happens until the operating hande is shifted back to its off position to restore the: pusher ring and such records as may be surrounded thereby into coaxial relation to the record or records remaining on is pushedv out beyond the periphery of the stack by the pusher ring. The cycle may then be started anew whenever another record is to be played. It should be noted that the stem H is compelled to rotate with the turn table although it may move up and down relatively to the same; the stem being shown as having therein a longi tudinal lzeyway 63 into which projects a key 64 carried by the hub 4 of the turntable. Thus the stem can exert no retarding influence on the rotation of. records on the turntable. This arrange, ment is made possible by the fact that the stem can rotate freely in the jaw 45 but must always remain in the samev vertical position relative to the latter.

While I have'illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desir to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with the turntable of a phonograph, of a plurality of shallow containers foriiflat-lying-records open at the top and adapted to be arranged in stack formation on the turn table, a tone arm beside and in position to en gage the containers, an actuator movable in two directions transverse to each other, a device located above the turntable and movable in the vertical direction and laterally, the device having parts to engage the side of a stack. of containers to shift all of the containers overlying a selected record toexpose at least a part of the same; and connections between the actuator, said device and the tone arm to cause said device and the tone arm to bemoved vertically when the actuator is moved in one of said directions and said device to be shifted laterally when the actuator is moved in the other of said directions. a

2. The combination with the turntable of a phonograph, of a plurality of shallow containers for flat-lying records open at the top and adapted to be arranged in stack formation on the turntable, of a device in position to surround the stack, a second device a little below the first device to hold the containers that are at'a lower level than the lower edge of the first device centered on the turntable, and means to move said devices up and down in unison with each other to vary the number of containers that are held by the second device and for shifting the first device laterally to expose at least a portion of the record in the uppermost container that is being held by the second device.

3. The combination with the turntable of a phonograph, of a plurality of shallow containers At the same time the tone arm I 8 i for fiat-lying records open at the top and adapted to be arranged in stack, formation on the turntable, of a wide ringtosurround the stack, a vertical rod adapted to extend up through the turntable and the containers and terminating a little below the first device to hold the containers centered on the turntable, and means to move said ring and said rod up and down in unison with each other to vary the number of containers that are penetrated by the rod and for shifting the ring 7 for fiat-lying recordsopen at the top adapted to be arranged in stacl; formation on said turntable, of a vertically movable member beside the turntable, a tone arm mounted'on said member, elements on said member for supporting containers independentlyof the turntable, an actuator for raising and lowering said member, said actuator being movable in a, transverse direction on said member, and means connected with the actuator to shift all of thecontainersoverlying a selected record from the turntable to said elements when the actuator is moved in said transverse direction.

5. The combination with the turntable of a phonograph'of a, plurality of shallow containers for flat-lying records open at the top adapted to be arranged in stack formation onsaid turntable, of a vertically movable memberbeside the turntable, a tone arm mounted on said member, ele-,

ments on said memberfor supporting containers independently ofthe turntable, an. actuator for raising and lowering said member, said actuator being movable in a transverse direction on said member, and means connected with the actuator to shift all of the containers overlying a selected record from the turntable to said elements when the actuator is moved in said transverse direction, 7

and means to lock said member against vertical movements during transversemovements of the actuator.

6. The combination with the turntable of a phonograph and the motor for rotating the same, of a plurality of shallow containers for flat lying records open at the top adapted tobearranged in stack formation on said turntable, of a vertically movable member beside the turntable, a tone arm mounted on said member for lateral swinging movements and for rocking movements to raise and lower th tone arm relatively to a record on the turntable, elements on said member for supporting containers independently of the turntable, an actuator for raising and lowering said member, said actuator being movable in a transverse direction on said member, a device connected to the actuator to shift all ofthecon= tainers overlying a selected record from the turntable to said elements when the actuator is moved in said transverse direction, an electromagnet to control the rocking movements of the tone arm, a circuit for energizing the motor and the electromagnet and two switches'in said circuit, one of said switches being in position to be closed by said device at a predetermined point in its recordshifting movement, and the other switch being in position to be opened by the tone arm when the arm reaches apredetermined position relative to the center of a record being played.

EARLE G. HENRY.

(References onfollowing page) 9 REFERENCES CITED Number The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 2305086 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Number Name Date 1,291,985 Manson Jan. 21, 1919 3 533 1,448,733 Dickinson Mar. 20, 1923 Name Date Tillman July '7, 1931 Mitchell Oct. 26, 1937 Johnson Dec. 15, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Dec. 16, 1930 Great Britain July 19, 1920 

